Studies of Scheduling, Design, and Synthesis of Batch, Semi-Continuous, and Continuous Processes

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This grant provides funding for the development of theoretical, algorithmic and computational techniques for scheduling, design, and synthesis problems that arise in a variety of process operations. The developed algorithmic approaches will provide a systematic framework for the determination of the assignments of the tasks to the different process units during the time horizon, the amounts of material produced in each task, the timing and duration of each task, and the design and capacities of the available process units. A novel continuous-time formulation for the short-term scheduling of continuous and batch processes with multiple due date demands will be investigated. A new mathematical modeling and optimization framework for the simultaneous synthesis, design and scheduling of batch processes will be studied. A new approach for the design and scheduling of batch processes under uncertainty will be developed.If successful, the results of this research will lead into substantial improvements in the operation, design and synthesis of chemical and manufacturing processes. The optimization framework which is based on the novel continuous time formulation of scheduling, design and synthesis problems will allow for production facilities to handle efficiently a wide spectrum of products, to address a variety of multiple due dates in the product demands, and to account for variations in the product demands as well as uncertainties in the processing parameters and costs. The theoretical and algorithmic developments will be complemented with industrial case studies and will lead to the development of computational tools for the scheduling and design of manufacturing processes.